What you can edit in Snapchat and where to find the tools

Snapchat's editing tools live in the camera screen itself. After you take a photo or video, you'll see a toolbar at the bottom with icons for text, stickers, drawings, and filters. Tap any of these to add to your snap before you send it. The tools are arranged left to right: a T icon for text, a smiley face for stickers and emojis, a pen for drawing, and a magic wand for filters and effects. You can layer multiple edits on top of each other — add text, then stickers, then draw over both.

The filters and effects work differently from the editing tools. Swipe left or right on your camera screen before you take the photo to cycle through Snapchat's built-in filters. These change the look of the whole image — color shifts, black and white, thermal vision, and others. Some filters are location-based and only appear when you're in certain places. Once you've taken the photo, you can still add more effects by tapping the magic wand icon, which opens a different set of real-time effects and lenses.

Key Takeaways

  • Text, stickers, drawings, and filters are all edited after you take the photo, using the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.
  • You can layer multiple edits on one snap — text over stickers, drawings over text — and undo individual edits without losing the others.
  • Filters change the whole image's appearance and are chosen before you take the photo by swiping left or right on the camera.
  • Snapchat's drawing tool lets you choose pen color and thickness, and you can erase mistakes without starting over.

Adding and formatting text

Tap the T icon at the bottom of your snap to add text. A keyboard appears and you can type whatever you want. When you're done typing, tap outside the text box to finish. The text appears in white by default and sits wherever you placed it on the screen.

To change how the text looks, tap it once after you've typed it. You'll see options to change the color, the font style, and the text alignment. Snapchat offers several font choices — some are blocky and bold, others are thin or script-style. You can also make the text bigger or smaller by pinching in or out on the text box itself, the same way you'd zoom in on a photo. If you want to move the text to a different spot, tap and drag it.

To delete text, tap it and then tap the trash icon that appears. If you've added multiple text boxes, you can delete them one at a time without affecting the rest of your edits.

Using stickers and emojis

The smiley face icon opens Snapchat's sticker and emoji library. Tap it and you'll see rows of stickers — some are static images, others animate when you tap them. Scroll through to find what you want, then tap it to add it to your snap. Stickers appear in the center of your screen, and you can move them around by dragging, resize them by pinching, or rotate them by using two fingers in a twisting motion.

Snapchat also includes a search function for stickers. At the top of the sticker menu, you'll see a search bar where you can type a word — "birthday," "cat," "fire" — and it will show you matching stickers. This is faster than scrolling if you know what you're looking for. You can add as many stickers as you want to one snap, and they'll layer on top of each other.

To remove a sticker, tap it once and then tap the trash icon. The sticker disappears but your other edits stay in place.

Drawing on your snap with the pen tool

The pen icon opens the drawing tool. When you tap it, a small toolbar appears with color options and a thickness slider. Choose your color first — Snapchat shows you a palette of preset colors, and you can also tap a circle to create a custom color by sliding your finger across a color wheel. Once you've picked a color, adjust the pen thickness using the slider, then draw directly on your snap with your finger.

If you make a mistake, tap the eraser icon (it looks like a small rectangle) and then draw over the part you want to remove. The eraser works on the same thickness setting as the pen, so if your line was thick, the eraser will erase a thick area. You can switch back and forth between drawing and erasing as many times as you need without losing your whole drawing.

To clear all your drawings at once, tap the trash icon. This removes only the drawings, not any text or stickers you've added. If you want to undo your last stroke without clearing everything, there's no single-stroke undo — you'll need to use the eraser or clear all drawings.

explore filters and effects before and after the photo

Snapchat has two different filter systems that work at different times. Camera filters are applied before you take the photo. Swipe left or right on the camera screen to cycle through them. You'll see the filter preview on your screen in real time. Some filters are always available — black and white, color shifts, brightness adjustments — while others appear only in certain locations or at certain times of day. Once you find one you like, tap the camera button to take the photo with that filter applied.

Effects and lenses are added after you take the photo. Tap the magic wand icon on the snap you've already taken, and you'll see a different set of options. These include face-tracking effects (like dog ears or flower crowns), background changes, and animated overlays. Some effects require you to be facing the camera for them to work. You can try different effects without committing to one — just tap through them until you find what you want, then tap the checkmark to explore it.

Undoing edits and starting over

Each edit you add — text, stickers, drawings, effects — can be removed individually without affecting the others. Tap the element you want to remove and then tap the trash icon. This works for text boxes, stickers, and drawn lines. If you've applied a filter or effect to the whole snap, tap the magic wand icon again and select "None" or swipe to a blank filter to remove it.

If you want to start completely over, you can discard the snap and take a new one. Tap the X button in the top left corner of the editing screen. Snapchat will ask if you want to discard the snap — tap "Yes" and you'll go back to the camera. This is faster than removing every single edit one by one if you've changed your mind about the whole thing.

Saving and sending your edited snap

Once you're happy with your edits, you can send the snap to friends, post it to your Story, or save it to your phone. At the bottom of the editing screen, you'll see a send button (usually an arrow). Tap it to choose where the snap goes. You can send it to specific friends, add it to your Story so all your friends see it for 24 hours, or save it to your device by tapping the read icon.

Snapchat saves edited snaps in your phone's camera roll or photo library, depending on your device. The snap is saved with all your edits included — text, stickers, drawings, and filters are all baked into the final image. You can then share that saved image anywhere else you want: text it to someone, post it on another social media platform, or email it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I edit a photo I already took on my phone, or does it have to be taken in Snapchat?

Snapchat's editing tools only work on photos taken directly in the app. If you want to edit a photo from your phone's camera roll, you'll need to upload it to Snapchat first. Open the camera screen, tap the gallery icon (usually in the bottom left), and select the photo you want. Then you can add text, stickers, and drawings to it the same way you would a snap you just took.

Do my friends see the edits I make, or just the original photo?

Your friends see the edited version. All the text, stickers, drawings, and filters are part of the snap they receive. If you save the snap to your phone, it also saves with all edits included.

Can I use the same filter on multiple snaps, or do I have to choose it each time?

You have to choose it each time. Snapchat doesn't have a "favorite filters" feature that applies the same filter automatically to new snaps. However, once you find a filter you like, it's quick to swipe back to it since the filters stay in the same order.

What's the difference between the sticker library and the emoji keyboard?

Stickers are larger, often animated images that Snapchat creates. Emojis are the small symbols from your phone's emoji keyboard. Snapchat's sticker library (the smiley face icon) includes both stickers and emojis, so you can access everything from one place. You don't need to switch to your phone's emoji keyboard.

Can I undo a single drawing stroke, or do I have to erase it manually?

There's no single-stroke undo for drawings. You'll need to use the eraser tool to remove mistakes, or tap the trash icon to clear all drawings at once. The eraser works on the same thickness as your pen, so adjust the thickness if you need to erase a larger or smaller area.